30 Dwarven Treasures

Herin find a list of 30 Dwarven treasures (as opposed to 30 Dwarven Gifts - found 30_Dwarven_Gifts here. These items, while usable as gifts, are always tangible items of value, especially to Dwarves.

1. An Ancient Treasure Map. Actually a somewhat damaged plan for the tomb of a long dead chieftain, the area is describes is currently cut off by a rockfall, but whether or not the rockfall was deliberate is lost to time.

3. A Crystal Phial with mineral water taken from the well hidden spring of Mardinia, a place holy to a dwarven Goddess. The water has curative powers, and tends to cause the user to become boisterous as if drunk.

4. A Pewter Feasting set, with bowl, plate, large spoon and the most exotic fork. All are made with a durable Dwarven pewter that is almost as lustrous as silver.

5. Stone Cutting chisels, bearded with adamantite edges. Good for cutting the hardest of stones. They are inscribed with the house-runes of a powerful dwarven clan.

6. Beard Comb. This brush is made from solid metal, with the individual teeth sawn laboriously by hand. The brush serves two purposes - one for simple grooming, the other for removal of small pests that may find a home in the beards of less fastidious dwarves.

7. The Helm of Urthur Stoutneck. A nearly indestructible steel helm, but so heavy normal humans (and dwarves) will find it very uncomfortable.

8. A chieftain's Scepter. This scepter is about 2’ long and heavily built. A steel shaft with gold and silver inlaid base and head. The head is fashioned like a 4-pointed hammer. It is usable as weapon, but its relative softness and great weight make it less than ideal in this role. No less than 1 lb of gold and 2 lbs of silver are used, in addition to a small fortune in semi-precious gemstones.

9. Maidens’ Rope. A length of rope crafted mainly from the hair of Dwarvish maidens. These ropes are functional, being quite strong and light, but they are typically given by the maidens to their betrothed. Custom has it that the maiden begins weaving their rope shortly after puberty, adding individual hair to the effort each day. In truth, many are crafted from whatever hair - of the appropriate color and texture - is available at the time. Genuine Maiden’s Rope is supposed to provide good luck to the dwarf that has one and helps to bind the two soulmates together.

10. A Silver Belt-buckle. This belt buckle would serve an ogre comfortably, and serves as moderate armor for the dwarf that wears it. Built from silver hammered onto a steel core, it is heavily inscribed with dwarvish runes. The leather belt it buckles is likely crafted from some exotic leather chosen to match the bearers temperament or wealth.

11. Dwarvish Lockpicks. Not the tools of thief, though one would love these, these are the tools of a master dwarvish locksmith. In addition to the typical picks and pry bars, fine diamond and mithril edged drills and saws are found within, in addition to a tiny periscope of truly ingenious design allowing the smith to look into larger keyholes and under thin doors.

12. Coin-making Die. Once the prized possession of some long-dead Dwarvish thane, this die bears the likeness of the late Thane. It is crafted from an exceptionally hard steel and can easily be used to make new coinage.

13. A Heavy Blanket. The caverns can be cold, and many a blanket counts as a dwarf’s prized possession, though they would be loath to admit it. Though most likely obtained through trade, the dwarves do not buy low-grade goods and these are good as can generally be found. Some are said to be woven from Maiden’s Beards, but this is just a wives tale.

14. Woodsman’s Axe. While not a forest-loving race, the dwarves still require wood, and lots of it. As a result they know the woodcutting craft well and build perhaps the finest woodman axes. Even the elves would admit dwarvish superiority in this area, since they are loath to pour their passion into the crafting of such things.

15. Fine Pots. As with all things metal, the dwarves are masters. While their underground world limits somewhat the variety of their foodstuffs, Dwarves pour their considerable energy into cooking good food as well. As a result, their fine cookware is greatly sought after by beings of all races.

16. Crystal Lanterns. These lanterns are crafted from carefully cut panels of sheet crystal in brass cages and produce wonderful plays of light upon the walls. Some contain inner crystals cut like prisms and use the heat of the lamp to spin, resulting in a glorious display of color.

17. A Bag of Nails. Dwarves make things to last, and these 3” hand-forged nails are closer to being bronze then iron. The alloy is quite strong. Each nail has a square head, with a simple dwarven rune - the mark of the smith - stamped into it.

18.Stone Tops. These are children's toys, crafted from gold-flecked granite. When spun, the runes on the side make an appealing animated pattern.

19. A Collection of Keys. While the dwarves do not go overboard with ornamentation, they do put their all into all the works of their hands. Keys provide another outlet for dwarven creativity, and often are tastefully decorated with precious metals and fine runes.

20. A Glass eye. Life underground is dangerous, and for dwarves, fairly long. Odds of losing an eye in their lifetime is fairly high, so glass eyes are quite common. Generally these eyes are as realistic as possible, and there are some that are so cunningly built - with internal gearworks - that their artificial nature is unclear. At least, until the dwarf pops it out and puts it on the table in front of you. Interestingly, these eyes are sometimes used as payment when a dwarf is in dire straits.

21. A Clan Journal. Dwarves are literate,detailed oriented and fiercely proud of their history - both racial and personal. These journals are important for keeping their history alive, especially old rivalries. Many a valuable secret can be found within these works, causing them to be well-guarded treasures.

22. A Dwarvish Ale Stein. This Stein is traditionally carved by hand from a single piece of stone, and then inscribed with runes - typically a legend from the owners clan history. The bottom of the Stein is usually carved to serve as a seal.

23. Sturdy Boots. These heavy, iron-shod boots would be the pride of the dwarf wearing them. They are of course, quite heavy but are water resistant and have good traction. The leather is the strongest that is available - the Dwarves will happily trade to obtain the strongest leathers - and in some cases are made from the hides of racial enemies.

24. Ritual Candles. Beekeeping is a rarity among the Dwarves, so wax is quite valuable to them. High quality wax is even more uncommon, and so its reserved for use in special ceremonies. Dwarves love of minerals and products of the earth have lead to them mixing in various substances into their candles, creating colored flames and exotic smells.

25. Tattoo Inks. Although not widespread, some Dwarven clans practice tattooing to make themselves more intimidating in appearance. Dwarves, with their great attention to detail and mineral knowledge, produce some of the brightest inks known - able to stay brilliant years after typical inks have faded to black. Those with mystical knowledge produce tattoos that can change or move.

26. Beard Rings. These rings are made usually from bone and dyed various colors. They are used to adorn Dwarven beards and the colors generally have specific meanings that vary from region to region. They are sometimes crafted from the bones of dwarven enemies. Occasionally they are made from more precious materials - such as jade or other workable semi-precious stones.

27. Smithing Tools. While one can always find the typical hammer and thongs in such a set, a smith’s toolset is as individual as the smith themselves. It is expected that once a smith has the first two items, plus a proper anvil, they can craft any further tools themselves. The long-lived dwarves have plenty of time and passion to put into their tools, so each one is a measure of the smith that uses them.

28. A Lords Tunic. While armor is one of the Dwarves preferred garbs, there are times - ceremonies, weddings, and the like, where other clothes are required. While few in number, Dwarvish tailors are every bit as skilled as dwarvish smiths and their clothing is similarly high quality. Where possible, stone and metal is worked into the outfits, with gold and silver thread, carved stone buttons and cufflinks.

29. Gold Funeral Mask. Not wishing for their death grimaces to sully their appearance even in death, Dwarves of all social classes invest in funeral masks. The poorest make due with hammered copper masks, while the upper classes craft theirs from precious metals. The most prideful will even adorn them with gemstones. The masks are a popular item to loot by dwarven enemies.

30. A Model Castle. Warfare comes naturally to the Dwarf, and although there are few dwarven castles, they are fascinated by them. While disparaging the stonework, they still admire the huge castles built by the surface races, and will reproduce them in miniature as a hobby. Some models contain near as many individual stones as the original.

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A fine list. Nothing too outstanding, but overall useful and has some good descriptions of mundane things, which are always useable. Although I think I will introduce that coin die as a plot hook since one of my players right now has taken up counterfeiting as a hobby.

Another interesting approach to this may have been to frame it around the day to life of dwavers, because much it already appears that way. If you want to tackle dwarven culture and values in list this is nice effort, I hope to use some them in future posts-give us a shared dwarven thread.

I would probably call this a list of dwarven possessions, rather than a list of dwarven treasures, but it is a fine list nonetheless. I especially liked the Maiden's Rope and the Clan Journal; you could easily base an adventure off of either of them.

Except for royalty, these would be treasures for most dwarves - they would be bequeathed to their heirs, and sought for when lost. True, they are not solid gold ornaments, or huge gems, but they are treasures.

Freetext

While setting up camp for the night, the PC's are aproached by another group of adventurers who seem nice enough. The road is somewhat dangerous and the other group suggests camping together. The two bands split watches, one adventurer from each group watching at once. The night goes by without incident, the next day the PC's travel with the other group as they are going the same way.

The group consists of Hordel the ranger, who is skilled with the bow. Hordel is a quiet man who speaks little but appears quite skilled. Dremar is a barbarian who is a little excentric, he seems to be an excasive drinker and thiunk that battle is the solution to everything. He appears to be a stout and powerful fighter with his greataxe. Ferrin is the leader of the group, a rouge by trade. He is daft and witty, speaking with the PCs often and asking many questions. He fights with finesse with his rapier. Preminitat as a cleric but he will not say which god he worships. He uses his spells to empower and heal his party and fights with a club. He sticks close to Ferrin. Ferrin is a great talker and tells much of himself and his party, but asks even more about the history and capabilities of the PCs. He tells of some adventures his party has had, and they seem like an interesting group of mercenaries. Hordel is quite and has little interest in speaking with the PCs, he ignores most questions. He spends a lot of time with Dremar and sometimes Ferrin. Dremar seems to not care about any questions ansked to him, nor does he seem to know the answers. He seems battle hardened and is a simple man. Preminitat rarely starts conversations but will speak with the PCs. However, some of his accounts of the party's history seem to condradict those of Ferrin.

The Party spends another night and day with Ferrin's group. One of four things can happen on the third night.
1: While eating dinner around the fire, Ferrin gets into an argument with one of the PCs when he/she mentions the discepincies between Ferrin's stories and Preminitat's.
2: Hordel gets mad after repeated questioning about his life from the PCs.
3. Preminitat gets mad after repeated questioning from the PCs about what god he worships.
4: One of the PCs rejects the offer of a drink from Dremar and he takes it as an insult.
All of these scenarios result in a battle between the parties. If Ferrin's party is defeated and still lives he swears vengance. His party may then cross paths with the adventurers again.